Google Search Update – The “Rating Filter” Is Here

Searchers can now filter companies by star rating in the local pack using the rating filter

It was only a matter of time before reviews gained even more exposure to local searches.

While star ratings are nothing new for the internet as a whole, Google is finally allowing consumers to rank companies by star rank directly in the local pack.

What The Google Rating Filter Looks Like

Last week, searches that include the word “best” or variations will show a result in the local pack with a rating filter like the one below (Update – in some of our tests we saw the rating filter with out including best):

We are going assume that this option will eventually be avalabie for all local searches – not just when “best” is included.

The rating filter also extends to the map listings as seen below:

What Does This Mean?

We have talk alot about the importance of having good, quality reviews online – no matter what type of business you are. However, this update is going to impact home services companies greatly.

Those of you that have spent time and money getting into the local pack need to ensure that you have plenty of good reviews for a few reasons. If you do not have reviews but are in the local pack then you are at risk of a user filtering by rating and losing your rank. Secondly, and more importantly, we believe that this update further proves the importance of review as a ranking factor moving forward.

Now more than ever it is important to get more reviews online – especially for your Google My Business listing. Remember – it is all about getting consistent reviews to your local business over time.

Keep in mind that star ratings are just one of the many factors that go into ranking factors for local Google searches. In fact, other factors such as proximity to the searcher might increase or decrease the position of your company.